Shade-rack



(No Model.)

F. H. TOMPKINS.

SHADE RACK.

No. 265,468 Patented Oct. 3, 18 82.

WITNESSES INQZENTUE:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES ATENT FREDERICK H. TOMPKINS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

SHADE-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,468, dated October 3, 1882,

Application filed February 9, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. TOM]?- KINS, of Jersey City, Hudson county, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shade-Racks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is theproduction of a new and improved rack for holding a variety of sample window-shades in such manner that they may be conveniently and advantageously exhibited to customers for selection. the construction being such that the rack may be quickly taken down and packed in small space, or for shipment, and easily set up for use, and such that the curtains may be entirely inclosed in the rack, and thus completely protected from dust and other injury. The rack is composed of two triangular side pieces provided with suitable foot pieces or supports, a narrow horizontal cross-piece forming the bottom of the inclosure or chamber in which the curtains are placed, and of a wide top board or cover for the inclosure. The shades are rolled upon balanced shade rollers or fixtures, which are arranged one above the other in the rack in two diagonal series upon opposite sides of the frame, so that any one or more or all of the shades in the series may be drawn down for exhibition. At the upper corners of the chambers are'held upon balanced shaderollers the outside curtain of oil-cloth, or similar material, for closing :the open sides of the chamber, and the diagonal edges of the main side pieces are provided upon the inside with suitable ribs or bars, and are faced with suitable frames, which, together with the bars or ribs, form ways in which the sticks of the said outside curtains move, the lower pieces of the said frames being provided with a fastening catch or spring for holding the outside curtains when drawn down.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,formingapartof this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my new and improved shade-rack, showing one side closed by the outside curtain, the other side being open for exhibiting the samples. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation ofone of the curtains and rollers (No model removed from the rack; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the divided cam-plate for holding one end of the roller, the same being removed from the rack.

A A represent the main triangular side pieces of the rack, which are formed with the foot-pieces I) D.

B represents the narrow horizontal piece which forms the bottom of the chamber or inclosure in which the curtains are held, and 0 represents the wide cover for said inclosure. The ends of the horizontal piece B are reduced to form the tongues d d, which pass through suitable apertures in the triangular side pieces sufficient distance to receive the keys e through them, as shown in Fig. 1, for tying the triangular pieces together at their lower ends. The cover C is secured to the triangular side pieces at the top by screws or similar means, and thus the cover serves also to tie the upper ends of the said triangular pieces together. Each of the triangular side pieces is provided upon the inside, near one edge,with the divided camfaced plates f and near the other with the centrally-perforated plates 9, which latter form the journals for the plain pivots in one end of the shade-rollers E, upon which the shades F F are rolled. The opposite ends of the rollers E to that to which the plain pivots are at tached for entering the perforations in the plates 9 are provided with the circular springaetuated head-plate h, which carries the square projection 2', which tits in the divided camplates f, and this projection is provided with the pivoted plate j, which, when the roller is not in place in the rack, comes against one of thelugs j, for holdingthe torsion of the spring; but when the rollers are placed in the racks, the cams f f of the plates f serve to hold the pivoted plate j out of engagement with the said lugs, thus leaving the spring free to balance the stick it of the curtain.

F F represent the outside inclosing curtains, which are of oil-cloth or other similar material, rolled upon the balanced rollers E E, placed in the upper corners of the rack, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Below these rollers, and in front of the diagonal series of camplates f and plates 9, the inside of the triangular side pieces are provided, near the outer edges thereof, with the cleats a a, and the edges of the said side pieces are faced with the frames Z), which, together with the said cleats a a, form the ways 0 c, and the sticks 7; 7t" ot' the outside inclosing curtains move in these ways. The upper cross-pieces of the frames I) are provided with the cleats l, which serve as stops to the upward movement of the sticks k of the curtains F, and the lower cross-pieces of said frames are provided with the springcatchcs b, for holding the curtains down when they a re drawn down for closing the open sides of the rack; and the lower cross-pieces of the frames inclose and serve to hide the stick it, so that the rack, when closed, will present a finished and nice appearance. After the sample curtains have been wound upon the rollers the rollers are to be placed in the platcsf and g in the rack in such manner that the unwinding of the curtain will be from the outside and top of the rollers, the plates f serving to retain the projections i, which increases the torsion of the springs in the ordinary way, but

i not to such extent but that the sticks k counterbalance the action of the springs, so that the curtains, when drawn out for exhibition, will stand at any point, and will require slight lifting to cause them to be wound up again. This balanced action of the curtaiirrollers is of great advantage, as by it there is no danger of injuring the curtains by any sudden winding up of the curtains, and there is no danger of the sticks being wedged between the rollers or carried entirely over them, as would he the case if balanced rollers were not used. The rollers being held one above the other, and each a little farther from the vertical center line of the rack than the one below, permits the free action of the shades, so that any one or more may be drawn out at a time for convenient and advantageous exhibition.

In order to close the rack for protecting the curtains from dust and other injury, it is only necessary to draw down the outside oil-cloth curtains, F, until the sticks 7; thereof are caught under the catches b, where they will be retained until released for again opening the rack.

To take the rack apart for packing away or for shipment, the cover B is first to be taken off from the triangular side pieces by unscrewing the screws which hold it. The frames 1) b are then to be removed, and finally the board B is to be taken out by removing the keys 0, which separates all the parts of the rack and permits the parts to be stowed away, like so many boards, or packed in a small space.

Though I have shown my new and improyed shade rack constructed to hold a double series of sample-curtains, it will be understood that I do not confine myself to such construction, as the rack may be in the form of a right-angled triangle adapted to hold but one series of.

curtains, instead of in the form of an isosceles triangle for holding a double series, and not depart from the spirit of my invention; and I do not confine myself to the use of any particular kind of balanced shade-roller, as any balanced roller may be used.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcnt- 1. The combination, with the triangular side pieces, A, having cam-faced plates 1" and centrall vperforated plates g, of the rollers E, haw ing plain pivots, and s1 n'ing-platc h, the latter provided with square projections 17, and springplatej, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with curtain-rolls F, havings sticks is, movable on ways 0 c and arranged on balanced rollers E, of the frames I, having the stop-clcats l and spring-catches b, as and for the purpose specified.

FREDERICK ll. TOMPKINS.

Witnesses:

ll. A. 'WEsT, (J. Sinnewicit. 

